The archipelagic nation of Vanuatu lies some 1,750 kilometers north of Australia, which puts it northeast of New Caledonia (which belongs to France), east of New Guinea (half of which is part of Indonesia, and the other half of which became independent from Australia), southeast of the Solomon Islands, and west of Fiji (these last two having once been part of the United Kingdom).

First occupied by Melanesians around 3,300 years ago, Vanuatu’s name means “land” or “home,” plus an indication of being free-standing or independent. The name was chosen around the time of independence from France and the United Kingdom in 1980. Before that it was known as the New Hebrides, after an island group west of Scotland.

A Spanish expedition under a Portuguese navigator established the first European contact in 1606. Though initially claimed for Spain, the islands were colonized by both France and the United Kingdom, which established a joint governance — called an “Anglo-French condominium” — that lasted from 1906 until independence.

The people, therefore, speak French and English, as well as Bislama. This latter is a creole drawing much of its vocabulary from the two European languages, used in a native syntactical structure. All three are recognized as official languages.

Independent Vanuatu has a president (largely ceremonial) and a prime minister, as well as a parliament, all of one party, making it a unitary parliamentary republic. A member of several international cooperatives, the nation receives increasing financial support from China.

Tourism efforts in Vanuatu focus on unique aspects of the local culture. Much of this is based on traditional rituals, rites that mark every aspect of an individual’s life. Local culture is also steeped in a complex mythology not unlike that of Australian aborigines or the Maoris of New Zealand.